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Professional Volunteering Opportunities in Midwifery, Peru

Requirements: Full qualifications as a midwife and have a relevant license; intermediate to advanced level of Spanish

Accommodation: Host family

Length of placement: From 4 weeks

Start Dates: Flexible

This volunteer medical project helps treat pregnant women and babies in hospitals and clinics in and around Cusco, Peru. The staff in these institutions can benefit from qualified midwives sharing best practice from their country of qualification.

This project is perfect for anyone considering voluntary work abroad or midwives on a career break.

How can volunteer midwives help in Peru?

You can use your knowledge and training to help local staff as a volunteer midwife. You can work on tasks such as:

Helping existing staff to treat patients, including:

Diagnosing, monitoring and examining women during pregnancy.

Developing, assessing and evaluating individual programmes of care.

Supervising and assisting mothers in labour.

Producing literature for new parents giving advice on the daily care of their baby, including breast feeding, bathing and making up feeds.

Helping with medical outreach programmes within nearby towns and villages.

Working with existing staff to find ways of improving care standards.

Observing and assessing the work of local trainee midwives.

Coordinate outreach projects where possible

We work with a variety of medical institutions in and around Cusco. You could work with one of two government hospitals. These are large facilities and you will be expected to work for around 6 hours per day, from Monday to Friday. Alternatively, it may be possible to perform some work at a smaller health centre.

What will I gain from this project?

This voluntary work abroad will help you gain experience of the methods used to treat mothers and children in Peru. You will be able to learn from local staff. They will want to share ideas and learn about how you treat patients in your home country. You will also learn how to adapt and work in a challenging environment with limited funds.

You will spend time in local host families, learning about Peruvian culture and way of life. They will want to hear about your life back home and your family and friends. We call this ‘cultural exchange’ and we think it helps our volunteers gain a new perspective on life.

What will Projects Abroad PRO provide?

We have over 20 years’ experience of running volunteer projects. We provide you with the following support to make sure your time in Peru is successful and enjoyable:

Safe accommodation with a Peruvian family close to your project.

Friendly and dedicated local staff available to help 24 hours a day.

A member of staff to meet you at the airport when you arrive.

Medical and travel insurance.

What skills or qualifications do I need?

You need a Bachelor's degree in Midwifery, to be fully qualified as a midwife and have a relevant licence to practice in your country of residence. You will also need to speak an intermediate to advanced level of Spanish.

Some of the media Projects Abroad has featured in: The Times, The Guardian, EL DIARIO, San Francisco Chronicle, Newsweek, Ok! Magazine, The New York Times, The Vancouver Sun, ELLE, BBC, CNBC, Travel and Leisure, BusinessWeek, The Irish Times